New On The Shelf This Week

This week’s new addition to my shelf, arrived as a generous gift by its author, James Thibeault.

Whilst at first glance, the storyline appeared not to be one which I might usually have felt comfortable reading, on more careful consideration, there were several lines in the book’s premise, which I found particularly compelling and intriguing.

Add to that, the indication from early reviewers, that the book is written in manageable chapters, which for me will have more impact, as well as offering natural reading breaks, and you can see why I have decided to accept the challenge of reading outside of my regular genres.

James is also putting together a guest post, so I am looking forward to running that feature, sometime in the future.

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‘DEACON’SFOLLY’

When a backwoods town has a barbecue, it’s to mock a teenage boy who nailed himself to a tree house. While Devon’s not the brightest bulb and has no recollection of his childhood, he’s a kind soul who seems friendly enough. Still, the whole town despises him. Only the new deacon in town takes sympathy towards the boy and is determined to discover Devon’s forgotten past, and the reason why it is never discussed.

Everything about Devon’s life is a mystery, from the whereabouts of his parents to Devon’s own memories. In the town, he is treated more like an animal than a person. Forced to live outside, Devon is looked after by his alcoholic guardian, Mr. Audette. Besides the deacon, the only person who takes pity on Devon is Mr. Audette’s daughter, Caroline, who has been running the household since her mother died years ago. Despite Caroline and Devon living next to each other, Mr. Audette forbids Caroline from socializing with him.

Few want to be near Devon. He spends most of his time alone and talking to the moon. At night, he suffers from dreams of people screaming. He doesn’t understand what it means, but tries to ignore it as best he can. For years, all Devon has done is block the torments in his head, the mockery from the town, and even his own memories. The deacon is convinced it’s time to know the truth.

At its core this book is about a young man who is forced by an entire town to come to terms with his disability and his efforts to learn to live in a community of individuals of lesser humanity than himself.

Clicking on the cover image will take you through to the Amazon page for ‘Deacon’s Folly’

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Author – JAMESTHIBEAULT

Cover Artist – KYLE EBANKS

James Thibeault, on the left of picture, is a high school English teacher who works for Eagle Hill School in Hardwick, Massachusetts. With his B.A. and M.A. in English, he currently works with unique students with learning differences such as ADHD, Dyslexia, and NLD.

Massachusetts has been his home for his whole life, but has lived in the city, the suburbs, and the country of this unique state.

During his spare time, he loves to read and perform a variety of activities; such as, rock climbing, martial arts, and obstacle course running.

Appearing with James in the picture, is cover artist and Eagle Hill student, Kyle Ebanks.

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Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house during the last week. Be warned that Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Mailbox Monday now has a permanent home, where links may be added each week. So why not stop by, leave a link to your own Mailbox Monday post, oh! and don’t forget to leave a comment for our three new joint administrators, after all, we all like to receive them … ‘Mailbox Monday’

Yvonne

I can’t remember a time, even as a child, when I haven’t been passionate about books and reading.
I began blogging, when I realised just how many other people out there shared my passion for the written word and I have been continually amazed at the wealth of books that are available and the amount of great new friends I have made, from literally 'The Four Corners Of The World'.

As a debut novelist, James certainly isn’t pulling any punches, with his depth and difficulty of storyline, nor the complexity of his main protagonist.

I am assuming that some elements of his unique teaching skills have come into play, in his writing style and character building, which is what made ‘Deacon’s Folly’ such a unique and interesting proposition for me.

Thanks for stopping by and hosting this week’s Mailbox Monday, it never fails to add a couple of new books to my ‘Want To Read’ list, each week 🙂

‘Deacon’s Folly’ is definitely going to be something completely different, although I was drawn to the synopsis, not only by the intrigue of a main protagonist who remembers nothing of his childhood, but also by the inferred mystery and intrigue about Devon’s past and to which only the deacon has the answers. Obviously all is not quite as it seems?

It is always good to step out of my comfort zone every once in a while, so I am quite looking forward to reading ‘Deacon’s Folly’ 🙂

Sometimes an empty mailbox means that you can catch up with that TBR a little, although I fear I would need several barren years before I made much impact on my bulging book shelves!

Who amongst us can resist or say ‘No!’ to those flattering email requests, or even better, those unexpected ‘Goodreads Giveaway’ wins!

I feel the same way as yourself, about the compelling nature of both the storyline and the character of Devon, although I am under no illusion that ‘Deacon’s Folly’ is going to be no walk in the park, to read, without becoming emotionally involved.

I was particularly struck by the fact that author James Thibeault also chose to include input by some of the pupils with learning differences, whom he teaches. Kyle did an excellent job with the cover art, which presents very well 🙂

Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you are well and ‘Happy Reading’ 🙂

I shall look forward to comparing our reviews and thoughts about this very troubled young man’s life and the damage which appears to have been caused to him, by an inward looking and intransigent community. Perhaps there will be lessons to be learnt? ….

Thanks for your lovely comment, it is always good to have you visit and thanks for continuing to co-host Mailbox Monday 🙂